In his Inaugural Address, President Oxtoby said: What is a liberal arts college today, in 2003? To begin to answer that question, let me go back one hundred years to the eloquent polemic written by W. E. B. Du Bois, “The Souls of Black Folk.” This monumental work from 1903, which Du Bois introduced with the prophetic words “The problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line,” touches on the role of higher education in ways that speak profoundly to us today. In his words, “The function of the university” (and, I would add, the liberal arts college) “is not simply to teach bread-winning, or to furnish teachers for the public schools, or to be a centre of polite society; it is, above all, to be the organ of that fine adjustment between real life and the growing knowledge of life, an adjustment which forms the secret of civilization.” [My italics]

DDP is real life. Every student at Pomona, every citizen and non-citizen of this country, deals with power dynamics on a daily basis. Our country’s history is one of inequality, and that inequality persists to this day, manifesting itself in our culture, in our institutions, and subtly, powerfully, in our mentalities.

Whether it is the Asian-American student feeling alienated by a literature course filled with books written by white men only, the white student confused by why there are so many clubs for people of color, or the lesbian student afraid to come out, students at Pomona confront the dynamics of difference and power every day. These dynamics do not disappear after Pomona. In fact, their influence grows stronger.

As students at Pomona, we anticipate an education that gives us the skills to view our society and our world critically and holistically. Such an education is not inherently liberal in the ideological sense, nor is it conservative. However, it is comprehensive and demanding, preparing us “to lead a rewarding and productive life in a rapidly changing world.” We can not fully understand our economy, our art, our government, unless we understand how they are influenced by, and how they influence, power dynamics. Pomona College does not fulfill its mission until it acknowledges, through a curricular commitment, the implications that power dynamics hold for our lives.

Today, the dynamics of power, long understood by the oppressed, have begun to be explored and confronted within the broader population. Pomona College must serve as an organ of this not-so-fine adjustment. If we do not, we shirk our responsibility as a college, and more importantly, as individuals.

Jesse Last, ‘07